Velouté sauce is made by thickening white stock with roux and then simmering it for a period of time. While chicken velouté, made with chicken stock, is the most common, there are actually three versions ~ chicken velouté, veal velouté, and fish velouté.
Cooks note: Velouté is not itself a finished sauce, and is not typically served as is. You could, however, simply season it with salt and pepper and use it much as you would a basic gravy.
- 6 cups stock (chicken, veal, or fish)
- 2 Tbsp clarified butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Heat the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then lower the heat so that the stock just stays hot.
Meanwhile, in a separate heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the clarified butter over medium heat until it becomes frothy. Take care not to let the butter turn brown.
With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the melted butter a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated into the butter, giving you a pale-yellow-colored paste. This paste is called a roux. Heat the roux for another few minutes or so, until it has turned a light blond color. Don’t let it get too dark.
Using a wire whisk, slowly add the hot chicken stock to the roux, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps.
Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about one-third, stirring frequently to make sure the sauce doesn’t scorch at the bottom of the pan. Use a ladle to skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.
The resulting sauce should be smooth and velvety. If it’s too thick, whisk in a bit more hot stock until it’s just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove the sauce from the heat. For an extra smooth consistency, pour the sauce through a wire mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth.
Keep the velouté covered until you’re ready to use it. This recipe makes about 1 quart.
Cooks note: Velouté is one of the four “mother sauces” which is used to make the following.
